NEW DELHI: South Korean automaker Hyundai plans to roll out a host of India-specific connected features including a panic button for distress situations, in its upcoming compact SUV Venue, which is set to hit roads in May this year.
The auto major will introduce its global technology BlueLink in the Indian market with the launch of the new model and has tied up with Vodafone Idea for network connectivity.
The company’s BlueLink technology comes with 33 artificial intelligence and connected features, out of which 10 have been specially designed for the Indian market.
The company is also looking at introducing such features in its future models in the country.
“Hyundai has a long experience in connected car technology in the global market. We are using the same global architecture here with addition of India-specific features after conducting several rounds of studies and internal brain storming,” Hyundai Motor India Engineering Managing Director Ji Hong Baek said.
The e-sim for the BlueLink in-built device in the vehicle will be provided by Vodafone Idea and it will work on 4G and drop to lower frequencies like 3G if 4G is not available in certain regions, he added.
The BlueLink device would also come with a cloud-based voice recognition platform from a global artificial intelligence (AI) company. The device will project real-time traffic navigation and live local search. It will also have interactive voice recognition which would have the ability to catch any English accent, covering various regions in India.
Baek said the company started the project two years ago.
“We will not be giving any technology which is is not verified properly. We have verified India-specific features several times to fine tune it,” he added.
The company is also working with its dealers to educate them regarding the new technology and its functioning in the new model, Baek said.
Commenting on the initiative, Hyundai Motor India MD and CEO Seon Seob Kim said, with 10 India-specific features, Hyundai BlueLink will be the most practical, concrete and convenient connected car technology in the Indian market.
“The technology will be available in future Hyundai products starting from Venue, thus, democratising the technology and making it accessible for everybody,” he added.
Various safety applications like automatic crash notification and assistance, SOS emergency and road side assistance would also feature in the new compact SUV.
Besides remote functions like engine start/stop, climate control, door lock/unlock would also be there as part of the new technology in Venue.
The model when launched would compete with the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Motors Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Honda WR-V and Ford EcoSport. (AGENCIES)
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